Footnotes

• The present lot is closely comparable with another octagonal version in enamel that resides in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (AMO 100381). An oval trompe l'oeil version, again in enamel, representing a slightly more substantial bust of the sitter, appeared at Christie's, South Kensington on 5 September 2006 (lot 62). In contrast to the Ashmolean version and the present lot, the oval enamel portrays the sitter as a Roman general, three quarters dexter to the left, wearing a breast plate and mantle.
  
  A page in the diary of Wellington's first wife, Catherine 'Kitty' Wellesley, (née Pakenham) (1773-1831), referring to the commissioning of the original bust by Nollekens can be viewed at Apsley House alongside a miniature portraying Kitty by Autissier.
  
  Esther Dainton (née Grimaldi) (1747-1823) was the elder sister of the artist.

Auction Notices

• Please note, regarding the provenance detailed to the reverse of the portrait miniature, 'LBG' stands for Louisa Beaufort Grimaldi and 'BBG' stands for Blanche Beaufort Grimaldi (daughters of Stacey Grimaldi, the artist's second son). Comparison with a similar inscription to the reverse of a miniature in a private collection suggests that Esther Grimaldi was actually the artist's great grand-daughter, which would explain why the initials 'LBG' and 'BBG' have been striked through.

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Category: Fine Art / Portrait Miniatures

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